Pleater hook for draperies



Jan. 8, 1963 L. POLKOSNIK 3,072,179

PLEATER HOOK FOR DRAPERIES Filed Dec. 2, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1911. fl E 2. 12 :3.

INVENTOR. BERN/7E0 L. Pou os/v/K 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN T 0R.

TOE/V5 Y Jan. 8, 1963 B. 1.. POLKOSNIK PLEATER HOOK FOR DRAPERIES Filed Dec. 2, 1957 BEEN/W90 LPoLzoslwk BY 5f I fir Jan. 8, 1963 B. POLKOSNIK PLEATER HOOK FOR DRAPERIES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

fifemmn 1. Po; KOSN/K BY f M Filed Dec. 2, 1957 Jan. 8, 1963 5. L. POLKOSNIK 3,072,179

PLEATER HOOK FOR DRAPERIES Filed Dec. 2, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BERNARD L P01 KOS/V/K \J BY INVENTOR.

3,072,179 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 fire 3,672,179 PLEA'IER HOGK FOR DRAPERIES Bernard Leonard Polkosnik, Fairi'ield, Conn, assignor to Consolidated Trimming Corporation, New York, NEIL, a corporation of New York Fiied Dec. 2, 1957, Ser. No. 7410,218 6 Claims. (Cl. 1641-348) The present invention relates to drapery pleater hooks of the type exemplified by the pleater hooks disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,796,928 and in my co-pending applications, and the present invention has for its object the formation of a new and different type of multi-fold pleat, namely, a multi-fold pleat having a substantially different appearance from that produced by the pleater hooks of the aforementioned patent and my co-pending applications, namely, a pleat formation whose outermost folds are spread laterally outwardly in their upper zones and in which the pleats are pinched together at the bottom.

In hand-made or custom-made pleated drapery, the two outer loops, pleats or folds of a triple-pleat are sometimes folded outwardly and tacked back by some hand stitching, so as to retain the two outer folds of the pleat in an outwardly flared or spread-apart position, while the lower ends of the three pleats are tacked together by some hand-sewn stitches, so they all project straight outwardly and so that they are closely adjacent to each other or have the so-called pinch effect at the bottom. This highly desirable pleat formation and shaping has heretofore been attainable only by the expenditure of considerable highly skilled labor, namely, the effort and skill of professional drapery makers.

The object of the present invention is a drapery pleating hook which, when used with a drapery head having vertical spaced-apart pockets (as, for instance, a head having sewn thereto the pocketed pleater tape shown in the aforesaid patent or in my co-pending applications), will produce the aforementioned pleat shape and formation, without, however, the need for any sewing or any other individual manual operation, other than the insertion of the prongs of the pleater hook of the present invention into the pockets of the pleater tape which is sewn to the head of the drapery.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

FIGURES 1 and 2 are rear and front perspective views, (respectively) of one embodiment of the pleater-hook of the present invention.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are side, rear and front elevational views (respectively) of the same.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the same.

FIGURES 7 and 8 are front and rear elevational views (respectively) of a portion of the head of drapery having three pleater-hooks of the present invention applied thereto and showing the multi-fold pleats formed thereby (FIGURE 8 showing only the zone of one of the three multi-fold pleats).

FIGURE 9 is a section on line 9--9 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a section on line Ill-10 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURES 11 and 12 are rear and front perspective views (respectively) of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURES 13, 14 and 15 are side, rear and front elevational views (respectively) of the same.

FIGURE 16 is a top plan view of the same.

FIGURE 17 is a rear perspective view of a modified form of the pleater-hook of FIGURES 11 to 16.

FIGURE 18 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the head of drapery pleated by the pleater-hook of FIG- URE 17.

FIGURE 19 is a section on line 1919- of FIGURE 18.

FIGURE 20 is a section on line 20-20 of FIGURE 18.

FIGURE 21 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the anchorage zone of hook-stern and pleat-spreader of the embodiment of FIGURES 11 to 16, showing a modified form of such anchorage.

The pleater hook of the present invention includes a pair of upright outer fingers 11 and 12 and inner fingers 13 and 14; the outer fingers 11 and 12 being preferably formed of a single piece of wire with the fingers-com nector or cross-bar 15 inter-connecting the lower ends of the two fingers 11 and 12, and the inner fingers 13 and 14 being also preferably formed of a single piece of wire with the lower finger-connector or cross-bar 16 inter-connecting their lower ends. The lower ends of the inner fingers 13 and 14 preferably cross the outerfinger-connector 15 and are welded thereto at cross-over points 17 and 18.

To the outer-finger-connector 15 or to the inner-fingerconnector 16 (or to both) the lower end of the upwardly extending stem 19 of the suspension hook 2%} is welded at 21; the hook 20 extending upwardly and to the rear of the fingers 11, 12, 13 and 14.

Between the cross-bar 15 and the four fingers, pleatpinching and pleat-spreading means are operatively disposed, in operative juxtaposition to the fingers; the pleatpinching means being at or near the lower ends of the fingers and forwardly thereof and being preferably inclined towards each other as they extend forwardly, while the pleat-spreading means are disposed substantially above the pleat-pinching means and are disposed in front of the outer fingers and extend laterally outwardly therefrom and preferably fold slightly rearwardly thereof. The pleat-spreading portions are disposed laterally outwardly and preferably slightly rearwardly of the outer fingers.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings, the lower forwardly extending and forwardly converging pleat-pinching means and the upper sidewise diverging pleat-spreading means are formed of a single piece of Wire, whose two ends 22 and 23 are either looped around the cross-bar 1.5, so as to be fastened thereto, or are welded to the crossbar 15 without being looped there-around for securernent thereto. The upper portion of this wire member is intertwined between the four fingers, so as to be held therebetween, while still permitting the fingers to be freely threaded into the pockets 24 of the pleater tape 25 which is sewn to and becomes a part of the head 26 of the drapery 27.

From the lower securement or anchorage points 22 and 23, the wire extends forwardly to form the portions 28 and 29, which are then bent back upon themselves at 3i) and 31 in elbow fashion, and then extend rearwardly and upwardly to form the portions 32 and 33. The portions 32 and 33 diverge rearwardly to a point laterally outwardly of the outer fingers 11 and 12, and then extend upwardly to form the pleat-spreaders 34 and 35 which are disposed laterally outwardly of the two outer fingers and preferably either in the same plane as that of said outer fingers or are disposed slightly rearwardly of said plane. From the pleat-spreaders 34- and 35 the wire again extends forwardly of the outer fingers, as at 36 and 37, and then extends between the outer and inner fingers in the zones 38 and 39, to form the central loop or upper loop 40, which is rearwardly of the inner fingers 13 and 14; thus intertwining the wire between the inner fingers on the one hand and the outer fingers on the other hand, thereby preventing the forward swinging of the wire. This intertwining and the disposition of the pleat-spreaders 34 and 35 in spaced relation to the fingers, is such that the walls of the finger-receiving pockets 24 of the pleater tape may be fully accommodated within the clearances between the intertwined wire forming the pleat-spreaders and the retaining loop 40 thereof.

The lower arms 28 and 29 extending forwardly from the anchorage zones 22 and 23 are either generally parallel with each other and spaced substantially inwardly from the outer fingers, or they converge towards each other, so that the elbows 34) and 31 will be spaced from each other a distance substantially less than the spacing between the outer fingers, as shown in FIGURES 2, 6 and 10, so that as the elbows extend into the two outer rearwardly-opening folds of the pleat, they will pinch together or hold together, in more closely spaced relation, the outwardly projecting folds of the pleat at the lower ends thereof, thereby to give the lower portion of the multi-fold pleat the pinched effect. On the other hand, the outwardly extending pleat-Spreaders 34 and 35 engage the outer walls 41 and 42 of the two outer pleats 43 and 44, in the manner indicated in FIGURES l and 19, thereby spreading the two outer pleats or loops 43 and 44 outwardly and holding them in such spread-open condition, thereby to give the appearance of having been tacked back by hand-sewn stitches.

In this embodiment, the two pleat-pinching elbows 30 and 31 in the lower Zone of the pleater hook, are so related to the upper pleat-spreaders 34 and 35, that when the pleat-pinching elbows are spread apart slightly, as, for instance, by the crowding therebetween of the several folds of multi-ply fabric constituting the pinched pleats, such spreading apart of the pleat-pinching elbows will, in turn, also further spread apart the pleat-spreaders 34 and 35 and/or will deflect the pleat-Spreaders 34 and 35 so that they will extend further rearwardly of the outer fingers.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGURES 11 to 21, the pleat-pinching elbows, on the one hand, and the pleat-Spreaders, on the other hand, are not integral with each other, but are formed as separate elements.

In this latter embodiment, the pleat-pincher at the lower end of the pleater hook may be either the pleatpincher which is shown in Patent No. 2,796,928, or may be the pleat-pincher of the construction shown in my co-pending applications. On the other hand, the pleatspreader, in this latter embodiment, is shaped like the pleat-spreader shown in FIGURES 1 to 6 and 9, but directly beneath the pleat-spreaders 34 and 35, the wire is bent inwardly and rearwardly as at 51 and 52, so as to extend between outer and inner fingers, as indicated in FIGURES 11 and 12 and 14 to 16, so that they meet behind the two inner fingers, where the ends can be buttwelded or overlapped as at 53, and where they may be retained in a rearwardly bent notch 54 in the stem 19 of the suspension hook. In this embodiment, the pleatspreader unit can be applied or can be mounted on the fingers by sliding it down from the outer ends of the fingers until the rearward cross-over portions 51 and 52 of the wire, at 53, snaps into the rearwardly bent notch 54 of the hook-stem 19; the stem 19 and inner fingers each being sufficiently springingly yieldable to be spread apart from each other (in a fore and aft direction) so as to allow the cross-piece (51 and 52) of the pleat-spreader to be forced down between the two inner fingers and the hook-stem.

The loop-like notch 54 may also be closed down in front of the cross-over portion (51 and 52) of the pleatspreader (to form a closed loop or eyelet) so as permanently to lock the pleat-spreader and to prevent it from being removed as indicated in FIGURE 21.

Alternatively, the cross-over portion (51 and 52) of the pleat-spreader may be welded to the hook-stem either at the front thereof or at the rear thereof.

The upper intertwined portions of the pleat-spreader wire also serve as guides for the outer pleat-folds; to guide them to their outwardly flared positions.

While in the foregoing description and in the accompanying drawings several specific embodiments of the present invention are described and shown, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments or forms of construction so shown and described, and that the scope of the present invention is to be gleaned from the following claims rather than the foregoing description and accompanying drawings.

Having described the invention, the following is claimed:

1. A pleater-hook for pleating and suspending draperies having horizontally spaced-apart generally upright pockets along the head thereof for receiving the pleating fingers of pleater hooks, said pleater-hook having at least four generally upright pleating fingers adapted to be inserted into the finger-receiving pockets of the drapery to form a multipleat formation in the head of the drapery, said fingers being connected at their lower ends by finger-connector means, a suspension-hook extending upwardly from said finger-connector means and rearwardly of said fingers, and a pair of pleat-Spreaders flanking the outermost fingers in a zone substantially above the lower ends thereof, one of said pleat-Spreaders being outwardly adjacent one of the outermost fingers and the other of said pleatspreaders being outwardly adjacent the other of the outermost fingers, and said pair of pleat-Spreaders being ar-' ranged to engage and deflect in a laterally outward direction the outer side-wall of the pleat formed by such outermost finger and the next adjacent pocket-engaging finger, so as to spread apart and outwardly to fold and retain the two outermost pleats of the multi-pleat formation; said pleat-spreaders having pocket-guiding portions at their upper ends, which extend forwardly of and around the outer fingers and then rearwardly between the finger and the next adjacent inner finger, and arranged to guide the fabric of the pocket on the drapery-head, so as to facilitate the pleat-spreading engagement between the pleatspreaders and the outer side-wallsof the outer pleats.

2. A pleater-hook for pleating and suspending draperies having horizontally spaced-apart generally upright pockets along the head thereof for receiving the pleating fingers of pleater hooks, said pleater-hook having at least four generally upright pleating fingers adapted to be inserted into the finger-receiving pockets of the drapery to form a multipieat formation in the head of the drapery, said fingers being connected at their lower ends by finger-connector means, a suspension-hook extending upwardly from said finger-connector means and rearwardly of said fingers, a pair of pleat-Spreaders flanking the outermost fingers in a zone substantially above the lower ends thereof, one of said pleat-spreaders being outwardly adjacent one of the outermost fingers and the other of said pleat-spreaders being outwardly adjacent the other of the outermost fingers, and said pair of pleat-Spreaders being arranged to engage and deflect in a laterally outward direction the outer side-wall of the pleat formed by such outermost finger and the next adjacent pocket-engaging finger, so as to spread apart and outwardly to fold and retain the two outermost pleats of the multi-pleat formation, and a pair of forwardly extending pleat-pinchers substantially beneath and in operative juxtaposition to said pleatspreaders and adapted to enter the outermost rearwardly opening front folds of the multi-fold pleat and to hold together, in close formation, the lower end-zone of the multi-pleat formation; said pleat-Spreaders having pocketguiding portions at their upper ends, which extend forwardly of and around the outer fingers and then rearwardly between the finger and the next adjacent inner finger, and arranged to guide the fabric of the pocket on the drapery-head, so as to facilitate the pleat-spreading engagement between the pleat-spreaders and the outer sidewalls of the outer pleats.

3. A pleater-hook according to claim 2, in which the pleat-pinchers are elbow-shaped and formed in continuation of the pleat-Spreaders; and have their ends anchored to the lower end-zone of the fingers.

4. A pleater according to claim 3, in which the ends of the pleat-pinchers are looped around the finger-connector means.

5. A pleater-hook for pleating and suspending draperies having horizontally spaced-apart generally upright pockets along the head thereof for receiving the pleating fingers of pleater-hooks, said pleater-hook having at least four generally upright pleating fingers adapted to be inserted into the finger-receiving pockets of the drapery to form a multi-pleat formation in the head of the drapery, said fingers being connected at their lower ends by finger-connector means, a suspension-hook extending upwardly from said finger-connecting means and rearwardly of said fingers, and a pair of pleat-Spreaders flanking the outermost fingers in a zone substantially above the lower ends thereof, one of said pleat-Spreaders being outwardly adjacent one of the outermost and the other of said pleatspreaders being outwardly adjacent the other of the outermost fingers, and said pair of pleat-spreaders being arranged to engage and deflect in a laterally outward direction the outer side-wall of the pleat formed by such outermost finger and the next adjacent pocket-engaging finger, so as to spread apart and outwardly to fold and retain the two outermost pleats of the multi-pleat formation, said pleat-Spreaders being formed integral with each other of a continuous piece of wire which intertwines between said fingers.

6. A pleater-hook according to claim 5, in which the pair of pleat-Spreaders also have laterally extending extensions at their lower ends which pass in front of the outer fingers and between them and the next adjacent fingers and in back of such next adjacent fingers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,754,903 Czetli July 17, 1956 2,758,645 Sherman Aug. 14, 1956 2,779,404 Hess Jan. 29, 1957 2,796,928 Bernhard et a1 June 25, 1957 2,799,774 Levine July 16, 1957 

5. A PLEATER-HOOK FOR PLEATING AND SUSPENDING DRAPERIES HAVING HORIZONTALLY SPACED-APART GENERALLY UPRIGHT POCKETS ALONG THE HEAD THEREOF FOR RECEIVING THE PLEATING FINGERS OF PLEATER-HOOKS, SAID PLEATER-HOOK HAVING AT LEAST FOUR GENERALLY UPRIGHT PLEATING FINGERS ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE FINGER-RECEIVING POCKETS OF THE DRAPERY TO FORM A MULTI-PLEAT FORMATION IN THE HEAD OF THE DRAPERY, SAID FINGERS BEING CONNECTED AT THEIR LOWER ENDS BY FINGER-CONNECTOR MEANS, A SUSPENSION-HOOK EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID FINGER-CONNECTING MEANS AND REARWARDLY OF SAID FINGERS, AND A PAIR OF PLEAT-SPREADERS FLANKING THE OUTERMOST FINGERS IN A ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF, ONE OF SAID PLEAT-SPREADERS BEING OUTWARDLY ADJACENT ONE OF THE OUTERMOST AND THE OTHER OF SAID PLEATSPREADERS BEING OUTWARDLY ADJACENT THE OTHER OF THE OUTERMOST FINGERS, AND SAID PAIR OF PLEAT-SPREADERS BEING ARRANGED TO ENGAGE AND DEFLECT IN A LATERALLY OUTWARD DIRECTION THE OUTER SIDE-WALL OF THE PLEAT FORMED BY SUCH OUTERMOST FINGER AND THE NEXT ADJACENT POCKET-ENGAGING FINGER, SO AS TO SPREAD APART AND OUTWARDLY TO FOLD AND RETAIN THE TWO OUTERMOST PLEATS OF THE MULTI-PLEAT FORMATION, SAID PLEAT-SPREADERS BEING FORMED INTEGRAL WITH EACH OTHER OF A CONTINUOUS PIECE OF WIRE WHICH INTERTWINES BETWEEN SAID FINGERS. 